Specialists' Term 2 Overviews
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
We hit the ground running (literally!) with our Whole School Cross Country Event in Week 1 and it was a huge success! We are so proud of all the students who participated, everyone was pushed out of their comfort zone by enduring the long distance run. The sense of achievement and pride in the students was amazing to see! Congratulations everyone, especially the winning house Hollows!
Wishing all our 3-6 Students who qualified for the District Cross Country event on the 20 May the best of luck! Go team Whitehorse!
I’ve been very grateful and excited to have our application for an equipment grant from the AFL approved! Hopefully, our new set of footballs and portable goal posts will arrive early this term and allow us to set up a ‘mini’ footy field on the oval. Students across all year levels will engage in a unit on AFL where they will explore handballing, bouncing and punting a footy through skill sessions and mini games appropriate for their age group. In the Senior school, students will be able to play AFL’s matches following School Sports Victoria’s modified primary rules.
On the 7th of May we will be welcoming Stacey Hymer, a Taekwondo Olympian from the Victorian Institute of Sport’s ‘Be Fit Be Well’ to speak to our years 3-6 students. Her presentation will inspire students with powerful stories of resilience to discover how sport and physical activity support wellbeing and success.
Looking towards the end of the term, our Grades 1-6 students have been kindly invited to participate in tennis clinics coached by Nunawading Tennis Club. The details of these clinics are being finalised but will be an awesome opportunity for our students to get a taste of tennis in the proper venue and possibly encourage some students to sign up for tennis outside of school!
There’s lots to look forward to in PE this term!
Mrs Avery
PERFORMING ARTS
It’s shaping up to be a lively and creative term for our junior school music makers! Our Foundation movers and shakers will begin exploring the world of dance, trying out different styles and responding to music through movement. Along the way, they’ll investigate musical contrasts such as high and low, fast and slow, and discover the many ways composers shape their musical works.
Students in Grades 1 and 2 will jump into composition, experimenting with simple forms of written notation as they create, record, and perform their own short musical pieces. They’ll also get hands-on with tuned percussion, picking up their mallets to play xylophones - playing both existing and their own compositions!
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Our senior students will continue developing their ukulele skills, expanding their repertoire of chords and learning new chord shapes. They’ll focus on smooth transitions between chords and how to combine them to form songs. They will be continuing to grow as composers, creating, notating and performing their own body percussion compositions, building on the skills developed last term. They’ll explore ways to enrich music by adding vocal and percussive ostinati to familiar songs. Senior students will also spend time learning songs on the xylophones and experimenting with creating music digitally.
STEM
What do carnival games, tiny homes, and protecting our planet all have in common? This term in STEM, students across the school will be busy designing, creating, and problem-solving in exciting and meaningful ways!
Our Foundation students have been exploring the fascinating world of weather. They have been learning about different types of weather and investigating what causes rain. Through hands-on activities and observations, students are beginning to understand how clouds form and why rain falls, building their curiosity about the natural world.
Our Year 1 and 2 students will be exploring the important issue of water pollution and plastic waste. Through hands-on investigations and discussions, they have been learning about how pollution affects animals and the environment. Students will begin designing their own solutions, thinking creatively about how to reduce waste, clean water, and protect living things. It has been fantastic to see their empathy and innovative ideas begin to shine through already!
In Years 3 and 4, students are preparing for the upcoming Specialist Expo by designing and building their own carnival games. They have been working through the design process, investigating, planning, testing, and refining their ideas to create games that are fun, fair, and functional. Their creativity and persistence have been impressive, and we can’t wait to see their finished games in action!
Our Year 5 and 6 students have taken on the challenge of designing and creating miniature rooms. Using a box as their base, a massive thank you to Stephanie Muratovic for donating a large number of boxes to support our program. Our students are bringing their ideas to life with incredible detail and creativity. A key part of this project is incorporating a working feature, such as a moving mechanism or a light-up element, which will see students experimenting with circuits and simple machines. Throughout the process, students will demonstrate resilience, collaboration, and critical thinking as they refine their designs and solve problems along the way.
Across all year levels, it has been wonderful to see students engaging in real-world challenges, thinking creatively, and developing their STEM skills. We are incredibly proud of their efforts and look forward to sharing their amazing work with you at the Specialist Expo in Term 3!